Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 43 of 43
PULLMAN—A Pullman man has been summoned for one count of second degree burglary and one count of second degree theft for allegedly committing the acts June 16. According to the police report, Pullman Police were notified June 16 of a man who had allegedly been stopped by the store manager after attempting to walk out of the store with a cart full of merchandise without paying for it. Surveillance video allegedly showed the man approximately 15 minutes earlier leaving the store with another cart full he had not paid for. The suspect, i...
TEKOA— The man who pleaded guilty to rape of Tekoa girl was sentenced to 15 months in the state jail Friday in Superior Court by Court Commissioner Howard Neill. Clayton Weaver, 34, pleaded guilty July 24 to the charges filed in June which accused him of raping a 15-year-old girl after supplying her marijuana....
COLFAX–A new one-day total record has been set with 49 new positive COVID-19 cases announced Aug. 25. This brings the total to date to 261. All are stable and self-isolating. Despite the case count, Public Health Director Troy Henderson is not changing any recommendations to the county schools, signifying the geography of the outbreaks. “This highlights the need that everyone in Whitman County wears a mask, social distance and wash their hands,” said Henderson. According to Henderson, many...
COLFAX—Monday afternoon, Public Health Director Troy Henderson released an update that Whitman County Health Department now supports hybrid or in-person learning for elementary schools in Colfax and Palouse. Previously it had been recommended those elementary schools start in distance learning. “Based on recent, current and projected COVID-19 activity, the Whitman County Health Department recommends distance learning for all Whitman County High Schools and Middle Schools. Although the County has recently seen a substantial increase in COV...
ST. JOHN – Twelve units responded Tuesday afternoon to a tractor fire that spread to the stubble and windrow straw the tractor had been baling. St. John Fire District responded with three trucks while District 11 supplied nine; three from Colfax, three from Steptoe, two from Diamond and one from Albion. The tractor and baler it was pulling were both a complete loss according to Steptoe Fire Chief Greg Hall. The fire also consumed 60 to 70 acres of stubble and straw. The straw was in windrows f...
Horses and trailers, riders and a judge gathered near Colton Aug. 20-21 for a clinic led by a traveling Florida trainer named Daniel Stewart. At the residence of Jerry and Jean Morse on Johnson Road, nine riders began last Thursday, part of 22 participants over both days. "Fine tuning how to be competitive under stress," said organizer Jana Schultheis. The group which put on the event, Paradise Creek Pony Club – begun as Palouse Hills Pony Club in 1967 includes riders from age six up to their 50...
WHITMAN COUNTY—A thick stand of dry wheat along with dry, windy conditions Saturday have set the stage for a potentially massive fire in Whitman County. “If something gets going, it (has) potential for a catastrophic event,” said Bill Tensfeld, Rosalia Fire Chief and Whitman County Emergency Management Director. The National Weather Service has elevated Saturday to Critical Fire Weather Conditions. Fires will be able to spread rapidly during Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning, according to NWS. This year’s bumper crop has increased the den...
COLFAX--Jennings Elementary officials have released more information for parents about the start of the upcoming school year. Many areas will be status quo with school days, times, bus routes and PE, music, band, library times the same as usual. In addition to mask wearing on buses and in the school building, students will have their temperatures taken. The school asks parents to do their best to take the temperatures of their students prior to getting onto the bus. Nurses will take each student’s temperature on the first day of school. S...
PORTLAND, Ore. — Officials want Washington residents to know there is still time to respond to the U.S. Census — especially residents in Eastern Washington. The count conducted every 10 years is important in that it determines congressional representation, helps with awarding billions of federal dollars to communities each year and provides information that will impact communities for years to come. The Census helps determine how many seats in the House of Representatives each state receives. It also affects funding decisions for programs suc...
RITZVILLE – U.S. Bank will be temporarily closing it's Ritzville branch Friday, August 28. "The Ritzville location has operated on a limited basis since the onset of the COVID-19 public health crisis, and will temporarily close to allow staffing resources to be used in other ways to support our customers," said Vice President Evan A. Lapiska Thursday, August 27. "We will continue to serve customers through our other branches in the area, including lobby service in Harrington and Warden, and d...
The Colfax Downtown Association has awarded storefront grants of up to $2,500 to five Main Street businesses. The expectation is, with more attractive storefronts, businesses will catch more eyes and more business from people passing through town. “Improving Main Street, one grant at a time,” said CDA Director Whitney Bond. The businesses awarded are Sol Vallarta, Colfax Barber Shop, Route 26 Vintage, Bully for You and the Colfax Eagles. The funds can be used for any storefront improvement, whether enhancing the face of the building and/or his...
GARFIELD—Every fire district in the county and Potlatch responded to a field fire Saturday, battling high winds as the fire spread from lentils to standing grain, stubble and railroad tracks, destroying a trestle. Fire crews were one scene about seven hours, fighting a fire that ignites off a combine near Sunrise Road and spread one and a half miles to Highway 27. The call went out at 3:30 p.m. Sunrise Road is located south of Garfield, west of the highway. According to Whitman County Fire D...
An article in the Sept./Oct. 2020 issue of Road & Track cites Colfax and Rosauers for its maple bars. The article started with the author in the Rosauers parking lot. His goal was to determine who had the best maple bar in Washington state with Rosauers as one of the three contenders. The author began the day in Colfax, then drove to Spokane for maple bars from Retro Donuts and finally to Madison Park Bakery in Seattle before returning to his midstate home. The drive took less than 11 hours and totaled 650 miles for the sake of donuts and to...
The McCoy Elevator and Rail Terminal should be operating by the end of the week, hopefully, according to Pacific Northwest Cooperative CEO Shawn O’Connell. The facility was damaged by smoldering grain fires Saturday and Sunday. Damage was done to the conveying equipment and extensively to the load-out equipment, but PNW expects to be operating enough to get through the rest of harvest shortly. “We do appreciate (the growers’) patience as we work through this problem,” said O’Connell. At the time of the incident, McCoy was doing 400 trucks pe...
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities' Fair Jr Livestock Sale is now live with bids closing at noon Thursday, Sept. 3. "We have a committee of people who can assist with your bidding needs and are here to help," Livestock Sale Manager Lori Williams said. "Animals may be purchased for custom processing or be turned where the buyer pays the difference between the market and purchase price." Bidders can register at www.booker2bid.com. For questions, email wlcfjrlivestocksale@gmail.com or call 5...
REARDAN – A basketball coach for the Reardan School District will not be returning in the coming year, following an investigation that he made inappropriate race-based comments to a student. Coach Damon Dewey was investigated by the school district after a player’s parents made a complaint about Dewey on Feb. 15. In response, athletic director Eric Nikkola conducted an investigation that found Dewey “more likely than not” violated the civil rights of a mixed-race player on the girl’s basketball team. The player’s name was not released in...
SPANGLE — Fire crews are on-scene again today, Sept. 3, for a wildfire off Heaton Road, northeast of town. As of this morning, officials estimated the fire — dubbed the Heaton Road Fire — at about 320 acres, burning in light timber and dry wheat. The cause of the blaze that started at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, remains under investigation. Helitack teams were called in to assist ground fire crews yesterday....
